They Called It Fate
by brokendream21
Summary: Draco and Hermione start questioning their own lives after several interactions through a school play: Romeo and Juliet. Will romance spark? Or will all end in tragedy?
1. Prologue

**.-.-Prologue-.-.**

"_With love's light wings did I o'er-perch these walls;/ For stony limits cannot hold love out,/ And what love can do that dares love attempt;/ Therefore thy kinsmen are no let to me" _stated a tall young man with platinum blonde hair as he gazed into familiar honey brown eyes.

"Um…I…er…" stuttered the young woman with slightly bushy hair as she gazed into the piercing grayish-blue eyes of her enemy. _Wow,_ she thought to herself, _he sounds so sincere. I wonder…_

"CUT!!!" screamed a voice from the back of the room, interrupting her thoughts.

Hermione groaned. "I'm _so _sorry. Can we start the scene over again?"

"Not if you're going to be daydreaming while everybody is working their butts off!" screeched Parvati. "Okay. Let's call it quits for today. I highly doubt we're gonna get anywhere anyways," she sighed. "But remember, we have rehearsal for Monday after classes so learn ALL of your lines by then. Or else…" she growled, glaring at Hermione.

Hermione sighed. Slowly she started collecting her script of _Romeo and Juliet_ and stuffed it into her book bag. She wished she had never tried out for the school play. _AH! How could Lavender convince me to do something so humiliating? I'll get her back for th—_

Somebody tapped Hermione on the shoulder.

"Granger, may I suggest that instead of worshipping me while I talk and staring dreamily at my face, could you actually learn your lines so that you don't waste _my_ precious time?" snarled Draco with his trademark smirk etched into his face.

"Well excuse me, _Malfoy_, for messing one little thing up and wasting _your_ precious time. I really hope that it does happen again" shot back Hermione.

And before either of them could come up with another mean retort, Ron appeared out of nowhere and started to lead Hermione away.

"C'mon Hermione. Let's go get something to eat. Or, we could go watch Harry's quidditch practice. Oh! Let's go hang out in the common room! There are some things that I would like to show you. Or, we could go pick out a good book in the library!" exclaimed Ron as he was trying to find a way to please her. He hoped that Hermione noticed his unusual kindness towards her. He wanted her to notice him as more than just a friend. Ron sighed.

"Weasley, you disgust me. I see that you're trying to suck up to Granger. Why would you want to do that?" muttered Draco as he walked away to collect his belongings. "And if you don't mind me, I have to go take care of some business in my common room. So long my Juliet." He snickered before he casually strode away.

Ron was blushing and seething at the same time. "Why I oughta…" he spluttered.

"You ought to what, Ron? What are you going to do? Hopefully not something stupid. C'mon, let's go meet up with Harry in the common room before we go for dinner." said Hermione mildly, obviously lost in her thoughts.

Ron was feeling thoroughly disappointed at the fact that Hermione, once again, had not noticed his attempts. Maybe he should just give up. Maybe. His eyes flickered over her face. She was so much more different than before. Now that they were in their final year at Hogwarts, he wanted to make this year count. He wanted to make it so memorable for her that she would never, ever forget him. Recently, he had noticed that Hermione acted more feminine and less of a "know-it-all". He liked this new side of her. It was different. But different in a good way. Sighing once again, he started leading her away.

Hermione allowed herself to be led away. Sometimes, she felt as though she didn't understand anything. Sure, she was hurt by the snide remarks made by Draco on her performance today. But she should be used to it by now. Ron was just acting unusually nice to her. She was extremely confused by that. She wondered if there was a catch to it. She highly doubted that he liked her as more than a friend. _After all, we've been friends for so long. I wonder if he wanted a favour._ She found herself wondering more and more nowadays. But she felt as though she was experiencing some weird emotions as she was rehearsing the play with Draco. Something was different. When she looked at him, there wasn't the usual coldness in his eyes. Instead, there was a hint of…playfulness? Hermione shook her head. There was just no way. Still, the thought of his eyes was still lingering in the back of her mind.

As Hermione walked away with Ron, Draco stepped away from his hiding place behind the curtains. Now he was confused. It seemed to him that Hermione appeared somewhat reluctant to leave with Ron. Not that he cared. But instinct told him that something was bothering her. He groaned. He wasn't supposed to care. He was expected to obey his father. He was expected to be feared. But something about the young woman intrigued him. However, he just wasn't sure what it was yet.

"Oh well." he said aloud to no one in particular. Swiftly, he jumped off the stage. He took one last glance at where Hermione had been standing and then walked away, disappearing into the darkness of a hallway.


	2. Chapter 1

**.-.-Chapter 1-.-.**

_There is darkness. Swirling around. Screaming can be heard. Wandering. But wandering to where? Is there a point? Groping around. Nothing can be seen. Up ahead, there seems to be the outline of a person. Closer and closer. The figure looms ahead. Reaching out to—_

"Wake up Hermione! We don't want to miss breakfast because of you!" screamed an impatient young man with emerald green eyes and hair the colour of night.

"Mmph." mumbled Hermione, slightly disoriented by her rude awakening. "I'll be there in a sec!"

Hermione stumbled out of bed. With the wave of her wand, she got dressed in her robes. And with another flick of the wrist, her hair untangled itself. Subconsciously, she began to hum a mystical song sung to her by her mother when Hermione had been a little girl. Her mind began to wander again. _I wonder if the dream had any meaning to it. And who was that figure that I just could not reach?_ She walked out of her dormitory still pondering these questions.

In the common room, Harry and Ron were situated on a couch waiting for Hermione to meet them so that they could go down to the Great Hall together. When she finally appeared, the two young men went to greet her.

" 'Morning Hermione!" greeted Harry, smiling like a child eager to open his presents on Christmas Day. "It took you long enough. Now let's get going before I pass out on the spot."

Ron mumbled his greetings and looked away blushing. Hermione did not seem to notice. Instead, she found herself looking at the weather outside as they walked to the Great Hall.

"Oh! It's snowing! It's so beautiful outside. How about we go spend some time outside after classes today?" squealed Hermione.

"That'd be fine," replied Harry. "Um, Ron? Is there something bothering you?"

"No. Everything's just great." snarled Ron.

Before anyone else could reply to that, they arrived at the Great Hall and took their seats at the Gryffindor table. Immediately, Harry and Ron attacked the food.

"Boys." muttered Hermione under her breath. She took a few bites of a muffin. "Listen, I'll meet you guys at Potions, okay? I have to go look something up in the library," she said as she started walking hurriedly towards the double doors that lead out of the Great Hall. Little did she know that a pair of grey eyes glanced quickly in her direction before she had left the room.

Back at the Gryffindor table, Ron was grumbling to Harry. "I don't get it, mate. How come I can never get her to notice me? Could you stop stuffing your face and actually listen to me? I need some help!"

"Okay, okay." said Harry grinning. "I'll help. So, where do you want to start?"

"Um. Not right now? We have Potions pretty soon so we better get going."

"Fine." said Harry still grinning at the fact that Ron still had not realized that he had just spilled his deepest, darkest secret to him.

The two young men went off towards the dungeons and when they got there, Hermione was already seated. Quickly, they both grabbed a seat beside her as Professor Snape walked into the room.

"Today's lesson will be on love potions." stated Professor Snape as soon as he reached the front of the classroom. Ron gasped. "Mr. Weasley, I suggest you keep your comments to yourself at all times. 5 points from Gryffindor. Anyways, as I was saying. Open your books to page 232 and read the bit on these potions. Then you may brew your own potion and when you have finished, please submit a vial for me to mark. You have an hour and twenty minutes. But beware. True love cannot be created through this potion. No potion can change one's heart. The potion can only give the one receiving it a strong feeling of infatuation. You may begin!"

There was the sound of everybody getting up to go hunt down ingredients. Within twenty minutes, the whole room had gone silent with the occasional cursing at the ingredients or the bubbling of a concoction. Hermione furiously started chopping up some of her ingredients and started to stir. Clockwise five times. Counterclockwise two times. Clockwise five times. Counterclockwise two times. She brushed her hair away from her face and started adding some other ingredients into her cauldron.

Meanwhile, Ron and Harry were currently puzzling over how Hermione got her potion to change into the lightest shade of pink. Ron's potion was turning darker and darker while Harry's was slightly translucent. Grumbling at this fact, Ron and Harry tried to consult the Potions textbook but with no avail. When they looked over at Hermione's vat again, she was already grinning triumphantly as she capped her vial.

"Five minutes left." declared Professor Snape, sounding somewhat bored.

Harry and Ron scrambled to do what they could. When they both decided how hopeless their potions were, they put them into vials and onto the professor's desk. As they walked back to collect their belongings, they heard a familiar snide voice come from behind them.

"How's it going Potter and Weasley? I couldn't help but notice how pathetic your potions were. How are you going to get everybody to fall in love with you now, Potter? And, we all know that Weasley needs all the love he can get." sneered Draco.

"Oh is that so, Malfoy?" spat out Harry. "Well, at least Ron has a family that loves him and has one that isn't filled with Death Eaters."

"Shut it, Potter. Can't the weasel speak for himself?"

"Yeah, I can. You—" started Ron.

"Be quiet Mr. Weasley or else I will be forced to have to give you and Mr. Potter each a detention for being disruptive." stated Professor Snape coolly.

With one last glare for Professor Snape and Draco, Harry and Ron stomped out of the room. Satisfied, Draco also left the dungeons, heading for his common room.

.-.-

At lunch, Hermione was nowhere to be found by her two best friends. Harry figured that she was once again in the library. Gratefully, Ron leaned into discuss his "Hermione Problems" with Harry.

"So what do you think I should do?" asked Ron, continuing the conversation from the morning.

"Why don't you just be yourself? Girls are supposed to like guys for who they are. Not who they pretend to be." said Harry wisely after a moment of consideration.

"Yeah. But why does it have to be so hard? Why do girls have to be so complicated?"

"Dunno, mate."

"Do you think I should just brew a potion to make her fall for me?" questioned Ron. "It would make my life so much easier. There's less thinking involved."

"No. That wouldn't be right. And this is Hermione we're talking about. It wouldn't be fair for her. She's our best friend. Besides, you heard what Snape said about those potions. She won't love you for who you are. It's practically immoral. I'm sorry, mate, you're on your own for this one. Either you talk to her about your feelings, or you just keep quiet."

"Argh. When did you become so smart?" grumbled Ron.

"No clue. But it's almost time for our next class. And remember, we hafta go meet Hermione outside afterwards. Maybe I can arrange for you and her to—"

"NO! I mean, it's okay. I wouldn't know what to say to her anyways."

"What ever you say." said Harry as they hurried towards their next class.

.-.-

After Hermione's last class, she rushed outside, eager to be free for the day. It was Friday so she could start her homework after dinner. While she was waiting for Harry and Ron to join her, she admired the snow. It was gracefully drifting down. Slowly, slowly, swirling around her. It seemed as though the snowflakes were being playful. They were dancing around. Hermione laughed gleefully as she started spinning around.. She felt so free, so free. Gradually, she slowed down. She was panting hard and there was a hint of redness on her cheeks. She shivered. As she looked over the lake, her mind brought her back to her dream…

All of a sudden, Harry and Ron noisily came outside. _Too bad, _thought Hermione, _they kinda ruined the moment._ As they walked closer, she pasted a small smile on her face.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Ronald over there was being slow. I hope that you didn't have too much fun by yourself." grinned Harry mischievously as he threw a snowball at Hermione.

"Why you--!" she screeched. Laughing, she bent down to pack a snowball. Happily, she threw it towards Harry, but it ended up hitting Ron. For a second, she thought Ron looked hurt at the fact that she threw a snowball at him.

As the trio started a lively snowball fight, an unsuspected pair of eyes was looking down at them. Draco yawned. Sometimes he didn't understand friendship. He just didn't get how it worked. He thought that Hermione was going to blow a fuse when Harry had thrown the snowball at her. Instead, she tried to retaliate. He sighed. Sometimes, he just wondered. Wondered where he belonged. And with his thoughts, he continued gazing out the window, watching as the snow continued drifting down.


	3. Chapter 2

**.-.-Chapter 2-.-.**

Draco stared up at the ceiling. He was awake unusually early for a Saturday morning. Sighing, he clambered up and out of bed. With one last glare towards a snoring Crabbe, he walked out of his dormitory and towards the Great Hall. As he walked down the empty hallway, he could hear his footsteps echoing. The silence seemed to have a calming effect on him. He liked it. He liked how he was sort of in his own world.

When Draco reached the Great Hall, he noticed that Hermione was sitting by herself at the Gryffindor table. Smirking to himself, he remembered how Hermione had needed some more practice on her lines. He started walked towards her but she had not noticed yet. When Draco tapped on her shoulder, she seemed to jump in surprise but when her brain registered who he was, her look of surprise was replaced with a look of disgust.

"What do you want?" questioned Hermione, half annoyed and half curious.

"Whoa, Granger. No need to bite my head off," sneered Draco. "I was just wondering if you wanted to practice the lines for the play later today."

"What?"

"You heard me. Instead of wasting _my _precious time during the rehearsal, we could practice so that I will have more time for myself."

"I don't believe it," said Hermione uncertainly. "Are you standing me up? Or are you just being mean and playing a prank on me?"

"Listen. Either you do or you don't. What is so hard to understand about that?" asked Draco with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Fine," agreed Hermione reluctantly. "When and where?"

"5:00 in the Room of Requirement."

"Okay."

And with that, Draco walked away. _I can't believe I just did that,_ he thought,_ that was one of the lamest things I have ever done._ Shaking his head, he continued walking away.

.-.-

In the Gryffindor common room, Harry and Ron were sitting on a couch discussing Quidditch when Hermione burst in looking slightly upset.

"What's wrong Hermione?" asked Harry, full of concern.

"I can't believe that I just did that!" wailed Hermione.

"Did what, may I ask?" asked Ron, looking slightly suspicious.

"I just promised Malfoy that I would rehearse my lines with him."

"You WHAT?" bellowed Ron.

"I didn't mean to!" sobbed Hermione, afraid at Ron's sudden outburst. "I-It was a spur of the m-moment thing. H-He had this logic and…and—"

"That doesn't mean that you agree to do things with him," said Harry, trying to keep his voice calm.

Hermione just continued to sob.

"Well, what are you going to do now?" asked Ron exasperated. "You can't seriously go meet somewhere with him and trust that he won't hex you when your back is turned."

"Well, what can I do?" glared Hermione. "A promise is a promise. Even if he is a Malfoy. I guess I will have to trust his word."

"You're going to WHAT?" yelled Ron.

"Please be quiet Ronald. You're going to wake everyone up" stated Hermione. "Besides, I'll make sure that I will have a couple of shield charms handy."

"Are you sure you're going to be okay alone with him, Hermione?" asked Harry quietly.

"Yes, Harry. I'm a big girl now. Maybe now is a time for change. Even if he is Malfoy, maybe he's growing up and forgetting the silly way that his father has taught him to classify people. Maybe he's slowly learning to—"

"He'll never change. This is MALFOY we're talking about," said Ron bitterly.

"Well, think what you want. You don't have any control over my actions so I'll do what I like." stated Hermione coolly as she stormed away to her room.

When Hermione left, Ron slumped in his seat and put his head delicately into his hands. Harry just looked wistfully out the window, contemplating what had just happened. Then, he turned to Ron and patted his back.

"It's alright, mate." Harry said comfortingly.

.-.-

Around late afternoon, Hermione packed up her things in the library and started making her way to the Room of Requirement. When she got to the part of the wall where the door was supposed to appear, she started imagining a slightly romantic room with dimmed lights, some candles, and the main colour being red since the play that she was going to be rehearsing was _Romeo and Juliet_. She thought that it would be kind of fun to rehearse in such an environment. She opened her eyes and the door materialized in front of her. When she entered the room, she was in utter disbelief. _Oh my gosh, _she thought, _this room is plain amazing!_ The room was circular and the middle of the room was sunken lower than the outer parts of the room so that it formed a sort of stage. The carpet and curtains were a crimson colour while the couches and pillows were a blood red and had gold lining with gold tassels. The walls were a rich cream colour and scented candles the colour of silver were burning from various places throughout the room. Hermione took a deep breath and started settling herself on a couch to wait for Draco.

A good 15 minutes later, Draco stumbled into the room.

"Whoa, Granger. What did you do now?" sneered Draco, but obviously trying to cover up the fact that he was in awe.

"Nothing. I thought that we could use a theme or something to help with the mood," replied Hermione simply.

"We didn't need a mood to begin with. Now, are we going to start practicing or not? You know I don't want to be here," drawled Draco impatiently. "I don't know what possessed me to actually spend time with such filth, but so be it."

Hermione shot Draco the dirtiest look she could muster, but she obediently positioned herself on the makeshift stage. Draco pulled a face at her but also positioned himself.

"Well, where do you want to start?" asked Hermione timidly.

"Where ever you want."

"How about Act…III, Scene V? It's one of my favourites."

"Whatever."

"Well, here goes…_Wilt thou be gone? it is not yet near day/It was the nightingale, and not the lark/That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear; /Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate-tree/Believe me, love, it was the nightingale._"

"_It was the lark, the herald of the morn/No nightingale: look, love, what envious streaks /Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east/Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day /Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops. /I must be gone and live, or stay and die._" said Draco softly as he gazed into Hermione's eyes.

"What? Oh…uh…" spluttered Hermione as she was already lost in her own thoughts. She blushed. "I'm sorry. I can't seem to concentrate."

"Of course," smirked Draco. "With my godly presence in the room, who would be able to? Oh. And you next line is: _Yon light is not day-light, I know it, I:/ It is some meteor that the sun exhales,/ To be to thee this night a torch-bearer…_"

"Um t-thanks," said Hermione. "How did you know my lines though? That's kinda weird."

"It's easier for me to memorize them that way," said Draco, once again smirking. "Tsktsk. Miss Know-it-all doesn't know it all for once. I'm surprised at you."

After a moment of consideration, Hermione spoke. "This may come as a weird question, but are you really human?"

"Why do you ask?"

"It's because I'm wondering whether you feel emotions or not. Everybody perceives you to be that cold guy with no heart. I want to know if that is the real you."

"Well, this was the way I was brought up. My father always taught me to care for myself. I always had to obey him. In exchange, I was severely unhappy. Gradually, I learned how to contain my emotions and place them in the back of my heart."

"But why would you have to do such a thing? Does that mean that Crabbe and Goyle are not really your friends?"

"They are fools. But this is what my life is meant for. I was meant to serve and obey my father, forcing me to exclude myself from the outside world. This is the price that I have had to pay," said Draco bitterly.

"The price for what though?"

"I have been asking myself that question more and more recently. I really don't know. Sometimes, I find myself wondering what would happen if I somehow broke out of my father's grasp. Everyday, I wish for such a thing to happen. Yet if it ever does, I would have to restart my life. Re-create my reputation. I don't know what I want anymore," finished Draco amazed at the fact that he had just poured out his fears and life story to Hermione. When the realization settled into both of them, they both turned back to their normal selves.

"I can't believe that I'm wasting more time with you," whined Draco.

"Well I can't believe that I sat through listening to your whole pathetic life story!" responded Hermione.

"Fine. This practice is over," spat out Draco as he stormed out of the room, leaving Hermione sadly sitting on the stage.

Hurriedly, she stuffed her books into her bag to go find Harry. As she ran down the halls, she could not help but feel empty from what Draco had just told her…

.-.-

Ron sat on a couch in the Gryffindor common room, staring at the crackling flames. He impatiently tapped his fingers on a table in front of him earning some glares from some forth years in the corner. The flames seemed to dance majestically and captivated, he could not pry his eyes from the fireplace. He thought about how Hermione was so similar to the flames. She was fiery but very entrancing. She was beautiful only if the world watched her dance. Ron took a deep breath. _Tomorrow will be my day to finally get what I want_, he thought fiercely, _and I'll make sure of it._


	4. Chapter 3

**.-.-Chapter 3-.-.**

_This is the day_, thought Ron,_ this is the day._ He kept thinking this over and over again as he walked towards the Quidditch pitch. He thought about it as he mounted his broom. He thought about it as he soared through the air. He continued thinking about it as he dived for the quaffle. But as Ron sat on his broom thinking about Hermione's eyes, Harry snuck up behind him.

"Hey! You still there Ron?" asked Harry, nearly causing Ron to fall off his broom.

"Wha—oh. It's only you."

"Who else did you think it was?" questioned Harry curiously.

"Nobody," said Ron dreamily. "No one at all…"

"Hey! Watch out!" screamed Harry urgently.

And before Ron could turn around to see what Harry was talking about, he blacked out and fell to the ground with a thud.

.-.-

"Hermione!" yelled out Harry. "Ron got hit by a bludger in practice and now he's unconscious in the hospital wing!"

As Hermione rushed out of her dormitory, she said "Oh my gosh! What did he do this time?"

Harry smiled mischievously. "He wasn't…er…concentrating. His mind was on…other things."

"That's just like him. How is he doing now?" she asked, obviously concerned.

"He's still out of it. You should go see him. I need to go back to the practice."

"Okay," said Hermione, rushing out of the room.

As Hermione rushed blindly down the hallway, she ran right into her least favourite person.

"Ow. Watch where you're going, Granger. Besides, where might you be going in such a hurry? Couldn't wait to see me again, eh?" smirked Draco.

"Not on your life, Malfoy. Ron just got injured in Quidditch practice. I'm going to see how he's doing," shot back Hermione.

"What a coincidence. I'm also going to the hospital wing to do a favour for someone." Draco grimaced.

"Whatever."

They both fell silent and the silence continued for the rest of their walk. Shortly, they reached the wing. Hermione immediately rushed to Ron's side.

"Oh Ron! What did you do this time?" sobbed Hermione. "Why did this happen? What were you thinking of at the time when you weren't concentrating? What could have been that important?"

Hermione picked up Ron's hand and held it tightly in her own. In a soothing voice, she continued whispering inaudible things to his forlorn figure and gently stroking his face. Hermione's mind began to drift. Drifting away towards her dream. She still spent a long time thinking about her dream. She knew that dreams weren't supposed to mean anything, but she couldn't help but wonder. She turned her head and gazed blankly out the window. It was sunny outside. She yearned to be outside on such a refreshing day. Yet she knew that she shouldn't let Ron down by leaving his side. A door slammed, bringing Hermione back to reality.

"How's Weasley doing?" asked Draco sarcastically.

"I don't know," sniffed Hermione. "I suppose you're done your business in this room?" Hermione said this warningly, like a message telling Draco to leave.

"Maybe," said Draco in a singsong voice. "Maybe not."

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Hermione suspiciously.

"What do you think it means?" asked Draco, still using his annoying singsong voice.

"Oh I don't know. Just tell me!" said an exasperated Hermione. "I don't have time to play mind games."

"It just so happens that I know something you don't know," said Draco slyly. "It involves you…and Weasley over there."

"What about Ron and I?" asked Hermione curiously. "What do I not know about Ron that you would know?"

"Oh really?" challenged Draco. "It just so happens that I overheard a conversation between Potter and Weasley one day."

"And what were they talking about?" pressed Hermione. "Just tell me!"

"A bit impatient are we?" Draco snickered. "Ah well. I'll tell you anyways. Weasley seems to…shall we say "value" the friendship between you and him a bit more than you think."

"What do you imply by that?" questioned Hermione, a bit offended. "Are you saying that Ron…fancies me?"

"You could put it that way," said Draco still snickering. "Ha. This must be the first time that anybody has fancied you. Such a shame that it had to be Weasley. So, what do you say about his feelings for you? Anything at all?"

"Ron is my friend and that's it. He's not anything more and he's not anything less," said Hermione blushing furiously. "If you think that our friendship is more than that, you're very wrong."

"Ah. But you don't understand. I heard Weasley say it himself," stated Draco. "What are you going to do if he asks you to be his girlfriend?"

"He wouldn't! It's not possible!"

"But it is. Well, think what you want to think. The truth is out there. It's even staring you in the face sometimes. That doesn't mean that you have to accept it, I guess."

"Even if he does ask me to become his girlfriend," said Hermione shuddering slightly, "I wouldn't say yes since it complicates my relationship with Harry."

"Oh, so you're saying that Potter is secretly your boyfriend?" sneered Draco.

"Goodness no! I'm just saying that he might feel uncomfortable around Ron and I. But still, I can't think of Ron as any more than a friend. He's like a brother to me," finished Hermione satisfied.

"Whatever you say. Don't come to me when Weasley won't ever talk to you again because you've shattered his heart."

"What do you mean by that?" questioned Hermione. "Why would I come talking to you about my problems? Wouldn't I go to Harry first?"

"Nevermind. It's time for me to get going," said Draco, getting up to leave.

Hermione checked her watch. "Me too. I better get going. There's piles of homework that still has to be done."

They both left the room and went into the halls. Hermione started to walk away, but Draco blocked her path.

"One more thing. Make sure you practice your lines and learn them by tomorrow so that you don't end up making a fool of yourself," said Draco as coldly as he could.

"I'll be sure that I do," said Hermione, equally as cold. But, she could not help but wonder why Draco was caring so much all of a sudden. Before she could question him, he had already turned and walked away in the opposite direction. Her gaze lingered on his diminishing figure as he walked down the hall. Suddenly, she too turned around, and hurried towards the common room.

Meanwhile, in the hospital wing, there were tears streaming down Ron's face. He had heard everything. Every single thing.

.-.-

Later in the day, Harry went to the hospital wing to check on Ron. When he got there, he found Ron miserably staring out the window.

"What's wrong, mate?" asked Harry.

"Hermione," said Ron bitterly.

"What happened?"

"Nothing. That's the problem."

"Problem?" said Harry, obviously very confused. "What did she say to you?"

"Nothing."

"Then where's the problem?" asked Harry, giving Ron a strange look.

"The problem is that she came to the hospital WITH Malfoy," said Ron ignoring the horrified look on Harry's face, "AND she actually had a civil conversation with him."

"What did they talk about?" asked Harry, trying to control his temper.

"Me."

"You? Why would they talk about you?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because Malfoy somehow overheard me telling you that I fancied Hermione. And he told her!" exclaimed Ron.

"Well, at least you didn't have to tell her yourself," said Harry optimistically.

"Yeah, well that wasn't the problem. The problem was her reaction," said Ron coldly.

"What did she say?" asked Harry intrigued. "From your reaction, I can tell that she didn't say something that you liked very much."

"Damn straight!" exploded Ron. "She told that git everything that she thought about me. About how we would remain even friends. About how she didn't want to endanger the friendship between you and her! She just told him everything about how she felt!"

"Whoa. Calm down Ron," said Harry reasonably. "Maybe this is all for the better. At least you didn't have to make a fool of herself and severe your friendship with her."

"Yeah, well, it has damaged our friendship," replied Ron simply. "I'll never be able to look into her eyes again without feeling lost. I'll never be able to look at her without feeling pangs of pain. I'll never be able to talk to her without sounding somewhat bitter."

"Stop your whining!" said Harry, somewhat annoyed at having to deal with Ron's problems. "Why don't you just talk to her to clarify what she said to Malfoy. For all you know, she could have been lying to him. Maybe she didn't want to tell him the truth. You never know."

"Yeah! Maybe you're right!" said Ron, suddenly very much awake. "Maybe she really does like me! Wow Harry! You actually said something smart for once!"

"Gee thanks Ron," said Harry, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I never knew you felt this way about me. But now that I've cheered you up, I need to go do some research in the library. I'll see you later!"

"Bye mate! And thanks," said Ron gratefully.

As Harry left, he couldn't help but think about what would happen if Hermione really didn't like Ron as anymore than a friend. That could cause some serious problems. Harry sighed. He didn't want to get caught in the middle. That would turn out really disastrous. Harry continued walking down the hallway. He couldn't help but wonder about Draco. Sometimes he just couldn't understand the guy. He seemed so mean and cruel, yet here he was, actually talking to Hermione! Harry shook his head. _No_, he thought,_ that can't ever be. I won't let my best friend befriend the enemy. I just won't!_ Running his hand through his hair one more time, he hurried to go find Hermione.


	5. Chapter 4

**.-.-Chapter 4-.-.**

Hermione woke up abruptly due to the fact that Crookshanks was licking her face.

"Argh! You silly cat!" she mumbled as she stifled a yawn.

As she looked around, she realized that she had fallen asleep on her script book.

"I must have lost track of time," sighed Hermione. Last night, she had had trouble memorizing the rest of her lines because of what Draco had told her about Ron. His words seemed to echo in her head. '_Don't come to me when Weasley won't ever talk to you again because you've shattered his heart.' _She didn't understand what he meant by that. _Did he mean that I should go talk to him first_, questioned Hermione, _or did he say that as a warning?_ She shook her head, catching a glimpse of the time.

"Ohmygosh!" I'm going to be late for Transfiguration!" screeched Hermione as she hurriedly fixed her hair and ran to the Great Hall.

When Hermione reached the Hall, she ran right into Harry.

"Ow. Where's the fire?" questioned Harry good-naturedly.

"Fire?" asked Hermione. "Oh. I'm going to be late for class!"

"Relax. There's still a good 20 minutes until they start," stated Harry reasonably. "Besides, there's something I need to talk to you about. It involves Ron."

"Oh yes. How is he doing? Is there something wrong with him?"

"Ah. So you actually do care about him!" declared Harry.

"Of course I do. Now tell me. What did you want to talk to me about?" Hermione asked curiously.

"It also…erm…involves you," stuttered Harry.

"Go on," said Hermione looking dully at Harry. "I don't have all day. So whatever you need to say, you need to say right now."

"Fine. You know what you said about Ron yesterday?" started Harry.

"What? What did I say about him?" asked Hermione puzzled. "I never said anything about him yesterday."

"Don't lie Hermione. I know that you were talking to Malfoy yesterday," spat out Harry. "Ron said that you said that…wait…he said that you—"

"Oh really? Is that what Ronald said yesterday?" shot back Hermione heatedly. "Well, I was talking to dear Malfoy, and I was just telling him that Ron was my friend. Is there something wrong with that?"

"Um…no?" said Harry, taken back. "It's just that…Ron really does like you. He likes you a lot. I was just wondering…if you felt…erm…the same way?"

"Sorry to break it to you, but Harry, I really don't," said Hermione quietly. "I can't. It's not possible. I can't endanger my friendship with you. And I seriously don't like himas anymore than a friend."

"Oh," said Harry sadly, although Hermione could tell by looking into his eyes that he wasn't sad one bit. Instead, he looked slightly…happy?

"C'mon. We better get going to class or else McGonagall is going kill us," said Hermione shaking her head.

" 'Kay. Just let me go get my books."

After Harry collected his books, he and Hermione made their way to the Transfiguration classroom. When they entered the room, Hermione gasped. The room had undergone a huge change. Instead of the usual formal arrangement of desks, they were replaced by ramps leading up to large blocks, balance beams, pylons placed precariously on the floor, and other random objects lying around on the floor.

"What in the world--?" started Hermione

"Settle down now class," interrupted Professor McGonagall. "Gather around now. Today instead of the usual Transfiguration lesson, I've decided to give a lesson on trust and respect." This she said while eyeing the group of Slytherins on the left side of the room, and the group of Gryffindors on the right side. "I will pair you up with a student from the other house and then we will begin a series of exercises. Let's see, Potter with…Zabini, Granger with Malfoy, Lavender with…"

Those words hit Hermione like a train going full speed. Her jaw dropped open. She felt slightly dizzy. This couldn't be happening. She felt…content? _How could this be?_ she thought furiously, _how am I happy about the fact that I was partnered with Malfoy?_ Before she could think anything else, she felt her knees go weak and as she fell back, a pair of strong arms supported her from behind.

"Geez, Granger. Are you that happy about being paired with me?" drawled Draco.

Hermione felt her heart flutter. "Erm…no. I was just thinking…"

"Isn't that about all you can do?" he sneered.

"No! I was just—"

"Excuse me Miss Granger. Is there a problem?" questioned Professor McGonagall impatiently.

"No, Professor," replied Hermione curtly, and slightly embarrassed.

"Good. Then allow me to continue. The exercise that you and your partner will be expected to complete is one that requires full concentration and full trust in each other. One of the partners will be blindfolded and the other partner is expected to lead their partner through a series of obstacles. Once all the obstacles are overcome, the other partner must be blindfolded and the obstacles must be overcome again. You have an hour for this task to be completed. Do not disappoint me," Professor McGonagall finished, ignoring the dark glares being exchanged between the houses.

"Well Granger, I supposed we better get started," said Draco blandly. "So should I be the one blindfolded first? Or do you trust me enough to be blindfolded first?" As he said this, his lips started to curl up at the thought.

"Um. I think I should go first so that I can get back at you for anything that you do to me," said Hermione wisely.

"Fine by me."

Hermione quickly tied the blindfold over her eyes. Her whole world was now dark. It was a sort of weird, new feeling for her. She could still touch. She could still hear. Yet she had lost her sight, as well as some sense of balance. She felt herself stumble upon an unknown object and the same pair of strong arms hold her up again. She could not help but smile.

"Hey! Watch it Malfoy!" she said in a mocking tone. "I might decide to conveniently push you into a wall when you are blindfolded."

"Right. If I weren't here, you'd be lying on your face. You should be grateful, Granger."

"Whatever."

After that little incident, Draco led Hermione safely and carefully through the entire course. Now it was Draco's turn to be blindfolded. Hermione gingerly took his arm and started tugging him around a pylon. Meanwhile, Hermione was absentmindedly studying his face. _He looks…so vulnerable,_ she thought, _it almost seems as though he might actually be nice._ She frowned. She shouldn't be thinking thoughts like that. But she could not help but feel happy about the fact that she got partnered up with him. They got through the rest of the task without anymore words exchanged.

"Well done Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy! It seems as though your partnership worked out the best and you were able to complete your task the fastest. You both get an O!" beamed Professor McGonagall. "Class dismissed!"

Hermione couldn't believe it. She had actually worked well with Draco. She felt all bubbly on the inside.

"Hey Malfoy! I guess you and I make a great team," said Hermione excitedly.

"Yeah. Right. As if," said Draco coldly. "I just wanted a good mark."

Hermione's face fell. "Oh. Well, I'll see you tonight at rehearsal."

Draco walked away without replying. Harry went up to Hermione.

"What was that all about?" asked Harry.

"Nothing," replied Hermione, with hurt written across her face.

"C'mon. Let's go back to the common room. We can go relax there before we go to our next class," said Harry, practically dragging Hermione from her spot.

"Alright," she replied. Hermione could not help but feel slightly lost. _What is going on?_, she asked herself, _I'm not usually this upset over the stupid things that Malfoy says to me. I don't understand._ She tried to force a smile onto her face and concentrate on what Harry was saying to her, but the image of a vulnerable Draco kept making her mind wander.

.-.-

"_Art thou gone so? love, lord, ay, husband, friend!/ I must hear from thee every day in the hour,/ For in a minute there are many days:/ O, by this count I shall be much in years/ Ere I again behold my Romeo!" _said Hermione emotionally.

"_Farewell!/ I will omit no opportunity/ That may convey my greetings, love, to thee." _replied Draco from the other side of the stage, flourishing his makeshift cape as he did so.

"_O think'st thou we shall ever meet again?" _

"_I doubt it not; and all these woes shall serve/ For sweet discourses in our time to come."_

"_O God, I have an ill-divining soul!/ Methinks I see thee, now thou art below,/ As one dead in the bottom of a tomb:/ Either my eyesight fails, or thou look'st pale."_

"_And trust me, love, in my eye so do you:/ Dry sorrow drinks our blood. Adieu, adieu!" _finished Hermione as she and Draco both left the stage.

"Well done you guys!" said Parvati, tapping her clip board. "Next rehearsal is same time same place next week!" She turned to Hermione. " I'm glad you actually learned your lines this time."

"I didn't forget my lines last time," insisted Hermione. "I just got distracted."

"By what might I ask?" questioned Parvati curiously.

Hermione looked over at Draco.

"I'm not sure."


	6. Chapter 5

**.-.-Chapter 5-.-.**

"Ow!" cried out Ron as he blindly tried to get into his bed, also managing to wake up Harry. "My head!"

"Mate, will you ever shut up?" said Harry groggily. "What time is it anyways? By the way, I'm glad that you're finally out of the Hospital Wing. There's something that I've been meaning to talk to you about.

"It's almost time for breakfast. I just wanted to take a ten minute nap before I started class."

"Yeah. Like you're actually awake in your classes."

"I am!"

"Sure."

"Anyways, what did you want to talk to me about?" asked Ron.

"Well…it involves Hermione," started Harry.

"What about her? Is she hurt? Is she okay?" questioned Ron. "Oh wait. Why do I care?"

"Um. Right. Well…I asked her about her feelings towards you…"

"And? What did she say?" said Ron, already forgetting that he wasn't supposed to show that he still liked Hermione.

"Sorry," said Harry, hanging his head. "She just doesn't like you. And while we're on that topic…there's something else I've been meaning to tell you…"

"What?" said Ron miserably. "Probably nothing worse than what you just told me."

"Actually…I know this isn't a good time to tell you this. But I think I've got feelings for Hermione too," admitted Harry.

"You WHAT?" bellowed Ron. "So are you happy now? Are you happy that she doesn't like me and that you have a chance now?"

"It's not like that Ron! And you know it," said Harry coldly. "I can't help it if Fate has decided that I should like Hermione. And I didn't do anything to change the relationship between you two."

"My foot. Why should I believe you?" challenged Ron. "Why should I believe the fact that you are telling the truth about her? How do I know that you aren't lying about what she said so that you could get me to back off of her?"

"Fine. You don't. But it's the truth, believe it if you want."

"I'll ask her myself. You'll see, she'd choose me over _you_ any day. Just because you're 'The Boy Who Lived' doesn't give you special privileges to do whatever you want."

Harry stormed away at this remark. As he walked down to the Great Hall to find Hermione, he was still seething.

"Hey Harry!" called out Hermione from the Gryffindor table. "What brings you here so early?"

"Nothing. I just want to be able to enjoy breakfast peacefully," said Harry bitterly. "Without any gits."

Just then, Ron stomped into the room.

"Speak of the devil," muttered Harry under his breath as he slid down into the seat beside Hermione.

As Ron made his way towards Harry and Hermione, Ron started shouting at Harry.

"You!"

"Me what?" asked Harry politely.

"Get away from her!" snarled Ron.

"Why should I?" challenged Harry. "She's my friend too. Don't I have a right to sit beside my friend?"

"Really! What is the matter with you two?" asked an exasperated Hermione. "You two act more like children everyday!"

"It's okay Hermione. You don't need to listen to that loser," snapped Harry.

"I am NOT a loser!" yelled Ron. "Hermione, I told you. Get away from him! You can't sit beside him!"

"And why not?" challenged Hermione, her anger rising. "Why can I not sit beside Harry?"

"Because…because…" spluttered Ron.

"Ronald, I'm tired of you telling me what to or what not to do. You have no right to tell me these things! I can make my own decisions. I don't need you to help me make them!"

A grin slowly spread across Harry's face.

"You heard what she said, _Ronald._ Maybe you should just leave."

Ron just turned around and stomped away.

"Honestly, you two act so immature at times," said Hermione tiredly.

"Oh! I just remembered! I need to go research something in the library! I'll see you at class!" said Harry running off.

Hermione sighed. Sometimes, she wished that her two friends wouldn't be so difficult. Sometimes, she just couldn't understand why her two friends argue so much and still remained good friends. She got up from her seat and walked out of the Great Hall into a deserted hallway. She started making her way to class, lost in her thoughts once again. _Sometimes I don't understand people. At times, they can be so nice…yet at other times, they are so much more different than you thought that they would be. Sometimes, I just wish that knowing about how someone is feeling or what he or she are thinking could be more like reading a book. But that will never be._ She continued to stroll down the empty hallway.

"Hermione!" yelled out a too familiar voice. "Wait up! I have something to talk to you about!"

She turned to see Ron running towards her. Nowadays, everybody had something to talk to her about. And they weren't usually positive and happy things.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I just wanted to ask you myself," said Ron panting. "I just wanted to know whether or not you have feelings for me. And whether you would take me as…"

"As what?"

Ron said something inaudible.

"Really, Ron! What is so embarrassing that you can't even say out loud?"

"Your boyfriend," said Ron finally.

"Oh."

"Well?"

"I'm sorry Ron. I really just want to be your friend. Nothing more than that."

Ron opened his mouth to say something.

"Wait. I'm not done yet. This has nothing to do with Harry. I'm just so confused right now. I need to sort out my feelings. At times, it seems like I don't know what I want anymore. I feel so…helpless."

"Are you sure this doesn't have anything to do with Harry?" spat out Ron.

"You aren't listening to a word I'm saying, are you? This is why I never feel like talking to you! It's because you're selfish and care only about yourself! How about me? Nobody cares about how _I_ feel!" yelled out Hermione.

"Yeah, well you don't seem to be respecting how I feel! I pour out my heart to you, and this is what I get? I—"

"Is there a problem here?" asked a very bored Draco, slipping out of the shadows. "Why are you two screaming at each other? Relationship issues?"

Ron gave him a dirty look. Hermione's expression was unreadable.

"Well then," sneered Draco. "My darling Hermione and I better get going to class now." He took Hermione's arm gently and started guiding her towards the classroom.

"Keep your filthy hands off of her!" said Ron menacingly.

"Or else what?" asked Draco innocently. "Did I happen to touch a nerve?"

Ron started fuming and walked away.

"I never thought that I would be saying this, but thanks Malfoy," said Hermione quietly.

Draco just stared at her. Hermione stared back.

"Well, I guess we better get going to class," said Hermione uncertainly.

Draco gave a curt nod and they both silently walked into the classroom and took their seats.

Throughout the entire class, Hermione struggled to pay attention. Her mind kept wandering elsewhere. She thought a bit about what Ron had told her. She knew that they could never be. Ron just…wasn't right for her. He wouldn't ever be able to make her happy. Then she thought a bit about Draco. She looked over at him. She wondered about what he was thinking at that very moment. She blinked. Maybe…

"Miss Granger? Would you care to answer the question?" asked the professor, dragging Hermione from her thoughts.

"Um," started Hermione blushing. "I don't know."

"I'm very disappointed in you. 5 points from Gryffindor."

Hermione ducked her head. Sometimes, life just wasn't fair. She started concentrating on the text and listening to the professor.

Meanwhile, Draco had turned his head to look at Hermione curiously when she didn't answer the question correctly. He didn't understand her. Sometimes she was so much like…a know-it-all. But sometimes…she could be…almost human? Draco shook his head. No. But he badly wanted to know what had distracted Hermione from her studies. _Maybe it was my charming looks_, thought Draco, _maybe she's in love with me._ He sneered, but then almost hit himself for it. _What am I thinking? It must have been the episode with Weasley this morning. I wonder what happened between them…_

"Okay. Class dismissed," declared the professor, forcing Draco to stop wondering and to get out of the classroom.

He walked over to where Hermione was gathering her books.

"Hermione?" he asked quietly.

"Yes?" She looked up.

"I was just wondering why—"

Just then, Pansy walked over and started tugging Draco away from Hermione.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" sneered Pansy. "Talking to something so filthy? I expect better from you Draco."

"What? Get off of me!" said a miffed Draco. Many students turned their heads towards the commotion.

Pansy just glared back and started dragging Draco towards the Great Hall. Draco looked at Hermione with a helpless look and saw that she was trying hard not to laugh. He rolled his eyes at her. She sweetly smiled back and walked away.

* * *

A/N: Well, I hope everybody has enjoyed this story so far...I'm sorry to say that I wrote this story last year around this time...and I've sorta forgotten what I wanted to happen with this story. So, to be evil and all, when this story has reached a certain number of reviews, I will post the next chapter. The one that has not been written yet. And don't worry. The number of reviews that I want is not a ridiculous amount. I just need to buy myself some time.

Also, I'd just like to take the time to thank everybody for reading my story. Yay. That makes me happy enough. And thanks to everybody else who is supporting me.

Well, have a great New Year's everybody!

Katherine


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